We care about your data, and we'd like to use cookies to give you a smooth browsing experience. Please agree and read more about our privacy policy.
Quanta Homepage
  • Physics
  • Mathematics
  • Biology
  • Computer Science
  • Topics
  • Archive

What's up in

number theory

Latest Articles

Two competitors are racing to solve the multiplication problem 25 times 63 in two separate lanes of a running track. One competitor is using the standard multiplication algorithm while the other is using Karatsuba method.
Quantized Academy

On Your Mark, Get Set, Multiply

By Patrick Honner
September 23, 2019
Comment
Read Later

The way you learned to multiply works, but computers employ a faster algorithm.

A dartboard with pi at its center.
number theory

New Proof Settles How to Approximate Numbers Like Pi

By Kevin Hartnett
August 14, 2019
Comment
Read Later

The ancient Greeks wondered when “irrational” numbers can be approximated by fractions. By proving the longstanding Duffin-Schaeffer conjecture, two mathematicians have provided a complete answer.

Illustration of Fermat's Last Theorem
Quantized Columns

Why the Proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem Doesn’t Need to Be Enhanced

By Michael Harris
June 3, 2019
Comment
Read Later

Decades after the landmark proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem, ideas abound for how to make it even more reliable. But such efforts reflect a deep misunderstanding of what makes the proof so important.

Art for "The Subtle Art of the Mathematical Conjecture"
Quantized Columns

The Subtle Art of the Mathematical Conjecture

By Robbert Dijkgraaf
May 7, 2019
Comment
Read Later

It’s an educated guess, not a proof. But a good conjecture will guide math forward, pointing the way into the mathematical unknown.

Art for "Mathematicians Discover the Perfect Way to Multiply"
number theory

Mathematicians Discover the Perfect Way to Multiply

By Kevin Hartnett
April 11, 2019
Comment
Read Later

By chopping up large numbers into smaller ones, researchers have rewritten a fundamental mathematical speed limit.

Abstractions blog

Sum-of-Three-Cubes Problem Solved for ‘Stubborn’ Number 33

By John Pavlus
March 26, 2019
Comment
Read Later

A number theorist with programming prowess has found a solution to 33 = x³ + y³ + z³, a much-studied equation that went unsolved for 64 years.

Art for "Smaller Is Better: Why Finite Number Systems Pack More Punch"
Abstractions blog

Smaller Is Better: Why Finite Number Systems Pack More Punch

By Kevin Hartnett
February 11, 2019
Comment
Read Later

Recent progress on the “sum product” problem recalls a celebrated mathematical result that revealed the power of miniature number systems.

number theory

How a Strange Grid Reveals Hidden Connections Between Simple Numbers

By Kevin Hartnett
February 6, 2019
Comment
Read Later

A graduate student has helped illuminate a long-suspected connection between addition and multiplication.

Illustration of lock with polynomials surrounding it
Abstractions blog

Mathematicians Seal Back Door to Breaking RSA Encryption

By Kevin Hartnett
December 17, 2018
Comment
Read Later

Digital security depends on the difficulty of factoring large numbers. A new proof shows why one method for breaking digital encryption won’t work.


Previous
  • 1
  • ...
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • ...
  • 11
Next
The Quanta Newsletter

Get highlights of the most important news delivered to your email inbox

Recent newsletters
Quanta Homepage
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube
Instagram

  • About Quanta
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Simons Foundation
All Rights Reserved © 2023